Why put off today what you can put off tomorrow?

Well I make that a solid month and a half since I wrote anything on this blog. Yes, like a small child, I picked up the concept of “the blog,” played with it for a wee while and then threw it away and moved onto something else. While that is part of what happened, another reason for my infrequent updates is that life in Japan started, and a little matter of learning how to teach English (and speak Japanese) came into focus.

Even as much as two months into being here the holiday atmosphere was still in full swing. The days were warm, the nights long, and everything was new and exciting. All the newbies here in Joetsu were frantically rushing here, there and everywhere to see all the different and unusual things that our new home had to offer. Needless to say, such a pace was not going to be kept up indefinitely. In my first nine or so weeks in Japan, only one weekend did not involve jumping in a car and heading out of town on some sort of adventure.

I must admit being rather impressed by what lies on our doorstep. Being in the central belt of the main island of Honshu, there are a lot of places within easy striking distance. Niigata itself comes into it’s own when the snow arrives (which, I have been promised, is imminent). The novel Snow Country by Kawabata Yasunari, which won the 1968 Nobel Prize for literature, was set in Niigata (but I don’t need to tell you that). The prefecture is famous for excellent rice, sake and skiing, and I’m happy with that.

I’m yet to explore the coastline, but I have been told that a few good beaches exist. South along the coast from Joetsu is the town of Kanazawa. Due to its lack of military targets it was spared the kind of destruction that many of the other major cities received in WWII (Kyoto also escaped in tact). Consequently, many of the cultural and historical sights still exist, including former samurai and geisha districts.

In the next door prefecture of Nagano are some of the most breathtaking mountains that the country has to offer; it is often referred to as “the roof of Japan.” It is also home to apples the size of grapefruits, which are a meal in their own right (Dave will attest to this). The prefecture’s main city, also called Nagano – really, what are the chances? – is only a short drive along the expressway from Joetsu. It’s a very modern and trendy city and got quite a boost thanks to it’s Winter Olympics in 1998.

One of it’s main attractions, piping Starbucks by a whisker, is Zenkoji Buddhist temple. Inside, next to the main alter, is a staircase that descends into a pitch-black tunnel that you can walk through – this symbolises death and re-birth, clever, eh? Within the dark, twisting tunnel you can find the key to eternal salvation. FYI – it’s about two-thirds of the way along on your right.
That’ll do as a wee chunk for now. I’ll update this as best I can, but I can’t guarantee there will be any coherence to things until we are up to speed. Things will just come to me over the coming days and weeks and I’ll be inspired to type in a few lines, so bear with me.